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My NEW blog address is
bj-sweetnothings.blogspot.com

and I have a link to where you can receive
SWEET NOTHINGS posts in your EMAIL ACCOUNT.

Please go to the NEW BLOG.
thanks, bj

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Out here in Texas....

we call 'em RED beans...
Last week, a good bloggy friend, CAS, emailed me and asked me to find the post I had on RED BEANS...
So, after finding it, I decided to post it again.


It seems that there is only SO LONG that we can go without a POT OF RED BEANS.
Wow...we do love 'em.
I don't cook them too often but when I do, I cook enough to put a bag in the freezer. How nice it is when you can just grab them out, put in a pan on the stove, add a little more water, if necessary, and, walla, you are on your way to a rib-stickin' meal.

We LOVE our beans with FRIED potatoes and onions, a nice big green salad, and CORNBREAD drenched in BUTTER.

Mr. Sweet says we are headed to an EARLY GRAVE but we'll have a SMILE ON OUR FACE when we go.
Hahaaaa....you silly silly man...


I know a lot of folks cook their beans in a nice large pan, on top of the stove.
I always cook mine in my olden CROCK POT.
Just easier for me that way..
My mom used a PRESSURE COOKER a lot for her beans but I am as scared of a pressure cooker
as I am a rattlesnake........so......NO......I don't use one.



My mother could make the BEST RED BEANS IN TOWN..
Really !
Ladies would bring their bags of dried beans to Mom and have her cook them.
Isn't that amazing?
I never, EVER had anyone want ME to cook anything for THEM. :(
Well, ANYway, Mom is the one that taught ME to cook red beans..and I, in turn, have taught
my daughter, STACY LEIGH, to cook them...JUST LIKE HER GRANDMOTHER.


Mother always started her beans in COLD WATER..
cover the beans with the water and let them soak for awhile, UNLESS you are ready to start cooking them "right now.."....which, in that case, you must watch them and add HOT water when needed.
Adding COLD water to a pot of beans that have been cooking awhile tend to make them tough.

Add lots of BLACK PEPPER

but DO NOT add salt until the beans have cooked to a fairly soft stage.
Adding the salt before then can result in hard beans.

Mom always added a couple tablespoons SUGAR to her beans...and I do too.

IF you are blessed enough to have saved that big ole HAM BONE aka HAM HOCK
from the last HAM DINNER,
then, baby, you are in for a fabulous POT OF BEANS.

This ham will flavor those little brown, ordinary beans into something that is BOUND to...



MAKE ANGELS SING...♫♪♫♫




IF you don't happen to have a wonderful ham hock in your freezer, don't despair because BACON is another wonderful addition to a pot of beans. If I have bacon that has a little more fat than I like, on either end, I just cut it off to the leaner parts and freeze the fatty parts.......
FOR BEANS. :)
I fry my bacon ends a bit before adding them to the beans.
No way am I taking a chance that the bacon won't be COMPLETELY done.
I don't like ANY meat, especially chicken or pork, that isn't TOTALLY cooked, thru and thru. ♥♥

I am sure that I've mentioned before that Mr. Sweet and I like our
SOUTHERN CORNBREAD thin and crispy...really really crispy.
So when I make it, I put it in a LARGE CAST IRON SKILLET so that it spreads out THIN.

When I was growing up, I didn't like cornbread one little bit. My mother made it a lot....but, remembering back now, hers was thick...and altho it always had a crispy bottom, I think the thickness just ruined it for me.

Just looking at this beautiful bowl of RED BEANS makes me hungry....
I like my bean juice to be a little thick.....never watery.
When the beans are soft, mash a few in order to make your juice thicker.




I grew up on this kind of COUNTRY COOKING..
For some reason, we seldom had BAKED potatoes...
mostly FRIED...or cooked in with the SUNDAY ROAST.

I love fries but I also love baked..
and I am pretty sure some of you are asking, "where's the sour cream?"
shhhhhh...don't let anyone know or I'll be *ran out of Blogtown on a rail* but....I don't really like SOUR CREAM unless it's mixed in with SOMEthing...a dip or something....O, and it's AMAZING to cook with.

ummmm...tender, flavorful PINTO beans just full of smoked Brown Sugar ham..
A big slice of homemade Southern Cornbread
A BIG slice of sweet Onion
and a BAKED potato....more healthy than those fries we love.!
For THIS ole WEST TEXAS GAL,
this is a meal fit for a KING. 





After we've had all the
RED BEANS and CORNBREAD
we can stand...
and all the BEAN BURRITOS
we can consume....
and we've put a large bag of those beans in the FREEZER...


We have one meal of
BEAN and BEEF TACOS and may I just say.....
O HONEY !

DOWN HOME COOKING....we love it
Thanks so much for coming by today...
XOXOXO bj

O, and I've noticed that when we have THIS many beans, I have a lot of candles burning...a LOT !








GOD BLESS this country that I love.




Joining the fun at:
FULL PLATE THURSDAY
THURSDAY FAVORITE THINGS
TASTE THIS THURSDAY

51 comments:

FABBY'S LIVING said...

OMG, such yummy food! I love cotn bread and everything you have there. I love that music, it reminds me of WWII, after, that is and of movies from the 40's...and at last, my dear dad, who adored that gorgeous music.Yep, the best food is supposed to take you to your grave early, but, who cares, right?! Hope you had a great lover's day.
FABBY

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Oh I totally love pinto beans too. I was born and raised in Texas and I thought that was the only kind of beans there was, at least it was the only kind I knew about. We always had ham in ours too and then mother fixed fried potatoes with some onion and okra fried in with the potatoes, and a big pan of cornbread. Now I know that definitely the angels were singing. I'd rather have that meal than a huge steak or anything else.

Dixie said...

You've made my mouth water BJ! In this part of TX, we add a little ole piece of Polish Sausage to our beans in addition to the ham bone... it's the full meal deal.. down here in French Lique (Texas)...

Amber Star said...

I found a cd of Hoagy Carmichael the other day at half price book store, and have so enjoyed it!

Pintos are a staple around here and always with a ham bone from the last ham. Actually there are a couple in the freezer that I'm wondering when we had that ham...
We are in Fort Worth, but my husband's family are from west Texas...up on the caprock.

I wandered by from Mona's place and enjoy your blog a lot.

We didn't get but an itty bitty bit of snow that didn't hang around and to top that off it snowed at night!

Unknown said...

Forget the candles! You'd need a jet fan for this dude!!! Yes, we had a lot of beans like this as yung'uns ... so did hubby. Not a big sour cream person either but I have to smother that baked potato in that deelish white creamy stuff, towered with scallions & grated cheese.

Oh, lawdy, BJ. You got my mouth to watering again.

Come take a peek today ... you'll love it.

Have a lovely eve ~
TTFN~
Hugs,
Marydon

TexWisGirl said...

dang, woman! you had my mouth watering at red beans, fried potatoes and onions! :)

Connie said...

I don't believe this!!! That's one of my favorite meals and what we just got through eating. Pintos cooked all day, coleslaw and cornbread drenched in butter. Okay, I lied about the "drenched" in butter but I did spread a small amount over the top. Sugar, I'm a Texan girl right after being a California girl! Love, love LOOOOOVE pintos.
xoxo,
Connie

Deserae said...

Your beans look sooo delicious...now I need to make me some! LOL..I make mine in the crockpot too but doubt mine taste nearly as delicious as yours :o)
~Des

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

We always ate pinto beans! But I don't cook as many now...but maybe I will this week! It sounds good! ♥

On Crooked Creek said...

BJ,
You are such a GOOD cook! I love reading your recipes!!! Reminds me of those passed down from generation ~to ~generation around the dinner table after all the men folk leave and the ladies are just a sittin' around talking with another cup of coffee!!!
My MoMa cooked her "navy" beans in a roaster pan in the oven. We still do ours that way here on the Prairie! "Mr. Ed" makes the best cornbread ever, he's even been published ina cookbook...but WARNING...it rises HIGH! Thanks for this delightful post, dear friend!
Fondly,
Pat

Linda @ A La Carte said...

BJ I love me some 'red' beans! I grew up with them being called Pintos! My Grandma cooked the best post of beans in the world. We would have it with buttered white bread to sop up the juice! I like mine with cornbread now. YUM! This makes me want to start a pot of beans for sure! hugs, Linda

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Oh yes and My Grandma and Mama are from Texas and I was born there also. Gotta love us Texans and our beans! :)

Marigene said...

A big pot of beans sounds heavenly! Yummy...

Kathleen said...

Just baked beans here, cooked low and slow overnight in the oven. I make them, but I won't eat them! The only beans I like are jelly beans! But I'll have some of your corn bread, it looks good!

Sweet Tea said...

Red Beans? I'm originally an Oklahoma girl and we call them Pintos and/or Brown beans. I grew up on, and still enjoy, beans, cornbread, fried potatoes and s
cole slaw. We refer to this as a Farmer Brown super. LOL. Your photos make me wish I had some right now. I soak my dry beans overnight, then cook them the next day. I never pay attention to cold or hot water or when to add salt/pepper. Maybe I should. LOL

Unknown said...

Oh Sweet Girl, you have cooked my fave, I totally love it all, especially the fried potatoes! Of course, you know in Louisiana, red beans and rice is the dish cooked every Monday! I cook them each time and I love the sweet Val. onion with them! Mercy, you are making me salivate Girl! I also totally agree with the candle burning! lol.
Loretta

forgetmenot said...

OK, everybody is going to be cooking a big pot of beans tomorrow just because of you. I personally am going to be making cornbread too (with lots of butter on it). It all sounds fabulous! I'm guessing everybody, just like me, goes away from your blog with a smile on their face--thanks for "brightening up" everyone's day. Mickie :)

Lois' Laughlines said...

O sweetiepie...beans, potatos hambone....I am not Texas but ate this weekly growing up. One of my favorite meals. Brings back so many memories. I can just never make them like my daddy did. He was in charge of cooking the beans and "taters" Thanks for the memories. Blessing to you.

Vee said...

Ha! That's a pretty euphemistic way of sharing the realities. The beans look wonderful. John would adore them. I can only eat little tiny Navy beans...texture issues. Sigh. So if I'm anywhere near Texas, I'll swing by and have you cook up some red beans for me.

On a completely different note, I've not been able to email you. All of my responses to your comments return "undeliverable." Have you been getting email?

Glimpse of My World said...

You been on my mind... thinking of you.. miss ya girlie!!

Bunny Jean said...

Hi Bj!

Looks like a good hearty meal or two, or three.

The last beans I made were the black eyed peas on New Years Day. Still waiting for my good luck to kick in...

xoxo Bunny Jean

Jonnique said...

Oh my this looks yummy! Thanks so much for limiting up to Taste This Thursday!!!

Sarah said...

Beans and corn bread ~ yummy!

Lynn said...

Oh Momma, nothing better than creamy beans and corn bread! Well, maybe a little something sweet for dessert too:@)

Theresa said...

How in the world can you make me want beans at 6:45AM while drinking my coffee? YUP, want me some beans and cornbread:) AND ONION! Sounds yummy!

Enjoy your day dear BJ, HUGS!

The French Hutch said...

Oh my bj, good down home cooking. Your recipes are the best and your photos prove it. It's raining here and a perfect day for cooking beans. Thanks for the repost!

~Emiy
The French Hutch

Rettabug said...

I must be the only blogger who has NOT eaten red beans & corn bread! :/
I grew up in the North...what can I say?

I guess I'll have to try making some to know what everyone is raving about.
Thanks for sharing how you do it, BJ.

Hugs,
Rett

p.s. Your link to Cass is incorrect. You need to change it to this one:

href=http://cass-thatoldhouse.blogspot.com

Shannon@Cozy Home Scenes said...

You are my kind of cook, BJ. Everything you show us looks delicious. We have a pack of pinto beans in the freezer left from last week's good eatin. It's funny, but my Dad wants his cornbread thin as possible. He likes the crunchy crust it makes instead of the soft yummy center. Do you ever chop up the onions and fry them with the potatoes? They are sooooo good that way. Go cook up some more good stuff to make me hungry!! Hehe-----------
shannon

Madeline's Album said...

Thanks for sharing this receipe with us I for one learned what not to do when cooking beans and what to do to making them good and tasty. Have a blessed day. Madeline

xinex said...

Oh BJ, I would definitely ask you to cook for me if we lived closer. Lucky family you have! You make the best meals and these red beans are no exception....Christine

Simply Tasheena said...

Yummy! I would love for you to link up to my linky party via: ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com

PS: I am your newest linky follower

Mrs. Delightful
ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com

xinex said...

And BTW, good advice, my friend, but nothing will be done here if I followed it, lol! It relaxed me just after reading it though...Christine

Susy said...

Hey BJ ~ your recipe sounds yummy. I recently made white beans and chicken in the crockpot, but they didn't turn out too well. Do you have a recipe that?

Richard Cottrell said...

OMG, my mother made these when I was a kid, I thought they were candy. i used to beg for them. I am having a party and serving red beans. Thanks for stopping by, Richard from my Old Historic House.

Unknown said...

Can I just say, you can cook me a pot of beans anytime!! and a pan of that thin cornbread too! YUM!

jeanne said...

Hi bj, Your red beans sound so darn good. I have never made them. I am gonna cook us some red beans. I have a ham bone too. Oh yeah! We do love to cook like our moms don't we. My girls cook like me as well. They are in their 40's and I still get calls asking me how to cook certain recipes. The recipes are in my head. HA! So were my mom's recipes.

Your posts are a real delight bj and you can cook for me anytime.

Do you live close to Houston? My grandson and his wife just moved there. We are going to visit them this June.

Love you, Jeanne

Beverly said...

There you go making me hungry again. Makes me want to go home and put on a pot of beans.

Carole Burant said...

I just put my gas mask on when I heard you and Mr. Sweet had been eating beans....LOL! Your mama made beans pretty much the same way my gran and mom made them, the way I make them as well:-) At the end of March I have to make a big pot of 'em to bring to my brother's Sugar Bush weekend party. Every year they tell me I HAVE to make them! lol I've only tasted cornbread once, at a restaurant in the States when Steve & I had crossed the border and I didn't like it at all. I remember it being very thick so maybe I'm like you and would prefer it thin and crispy!! Cornbread is just not something anyone ever cooks around here.

Is it safe to take off my gas mask now?? hehe Love ya! xoxo

Olive said...

This is how we cook too. I cook my cornbread in a cast iron skillet and I want it crispy too. Your beans look lovely. There is nothing better than good home cooking.

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Being from a Southern family, we cook our beans the same way. Mom used ham hocks and I do only if I have it handy, if not I use bacon like you do. The one thing we do that you don't is to sprinkly fresh finely chopped onions on top when served. I rarely like corn bread because it always seems to be dryer than I like but...a friend came over one night with a fresh pan of corn bread from a local market that had me swooning! SO moist and wonderful and not as thick as they serve in restaurants.
Yep..I could almost hear those angels singing..just like Marty! :)
LOVED this post. Thanks so much for taking the time to do it over again for us that may have missed it!

An Oasis in the Desert said...

Thanks for sharing the recipe again. I just popped over because I was putting this recipe on my menu plan for next week. I've been doing some vegetarian dishes, & seem to be using a lot of beans. I really need to spread those meals out a bit....lol! I am following your Linky Followers. I just did the same thing & posted about it this morning. You just never know about google.
CAS

An Oasis in the Desert said...

I'm pretty sure I'm the one you meant who emailed asking for the recipe. I'm CAS @ An Oasis in the Desert, just so you know....lol!
CAS

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Oh BJ, I love ham & beans, too! Nothing is better than that with a hunk of cornbread! I loved seeing your beautiful new burlap runner...looks so pretty on your table! One of these days, I'm going to make one.

Lora said...

Love this post.... it reminds me of my Dad. He's from Texas as well, as VERY small town called Brady, and I remember when we'd visit my grandparents how strange the food was LOL! My Mom is a New Jersey Italian... they make quite the pair!

My Dad still makes the best cornbread I've ever had. Thanks for the memorable post!
Lora

carolinaheartstrings said...

That looks fantastic! I know my family would love this. We have a terrific beef,carrot ginger wrap and a great book review today. Come visit.

Carla said...

We were talking about making beans this weekend. The post came at the right time. Thanks. Is it lunch time yet? I hungry now. ;o)

Miz Helen said...

Hi BJ,
I grew up with this meal, it looks like home to me and I still have to have it from time to time. We always called the Pinto Beans Red Beans and I never knew the difference until I was an adult. Thanks for bringing back so many wonderful memories for me. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week end.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen

Katherines Corner said...

Oh my goodness. This is one of my favorite things!!!! So delish your looks yummy. What a wonderful compliment for your Mum to have others ask for her to cook for them. Hugs P.S. thank you for linking to Thursday Favorite Things linky party

Annesphamily said...

You are just too cute! I love beans and so does my hubby! But our kids act as if we will poison them by eating such a horrible meal! I always look for ham hocks in the grocery store! Now I think I better cook some up! Yum! Thanks BJ, you are a doll! Anne

Miz Helen said...

Congratulations!
Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you have a wonderful week end and enjoy your new Red Plate.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Good heavens, bj! It's midnight here and now I'm hungry! You're going to be the death of me..I need to never read your posts at night..only in the morning with my coffee so I can EAT!!
Now I want beans, and a Mckinsey Childs shelf and cherry tarts and buscuits, ham and eggs, corn bread and...and...